People visiting T. Nagar last week lost their way. With the arterial stretches inundated due to the relentless downpour, these visitors ended up taking new stretches and losing their bearings.
As is usual in T. Nagar, inundated stretches resulted in excruciatingly long traffic jams. Some of those who were caught in a traffic jam kept away from the area the rest of the week. As a result, the roads were relatively free of vehicles. Pedestrians however could not rejoice at having the road all to themselves: water mixed with slush meant they had to stay indoors too.
The rain left traders extremely unhappy and also dampened residents’ festive spirit. Naresh Kumar, who runs a garment shop on North Usman Road was expecting good sales ahead of Deepavali, but the rain dashed his hopes. “The problem has been a persistent one for years. Ever since the Usman Road flyover and Rangarajapuram flyover were constructed, rainwater runs down the incline and stagnates on the entire stretch. No one wants to wade through knee-deep water to shop. The rain has reduced our profits,” says Naresh Kumar. Naresh Kumar continues, “The stormwater drains are blocked, not allowing rainwater to percolate.”
The residents of Rameshwaram Road dread the monsoon. Even a light shower leaves this stretch water-logged and damaged. With houses located at a level lower than the road, the water enters apartment complexes. “We had to raise the height of the entrance to keep the water out. Sometimes, sewage gets mixed with rainwater causing an unbearable stink,” says Hema Ramachandran, a resident.
Other stretches in T. Nagar that were hard to negotiate included Bazullah Road, G.N. Chetty Road and Boag Road.
When the sun peeped put of the clouds, the Corporation officials used the opportunity. Under their instructions, workers set to work with pumping machines. Three of these machines were employed to remove the clog in the drains on G.N. Chetty Road. “This is the main line. Ones the clog is removed, water from North Usman Road will also recede,” said a senior official of the Teynampet Zone.
On why no measures were taken before the monsoon set in, he said, “You can’t hold the Corporation alone responsible. People mindlessly dump construction debris into the drain. It is bound to get chocked. Once we clear the drains, the problem should not reoccur, definitely not on this scale. Also work on cleaning the Mambalam Canal is under way. It will also allow free flow of water.”
Traffic-heavy Arcot Road was also left to deal with rain-related issues. Right from the Kodambakkam flyover to Porur, the main road was inundated causing traffic snarls. “In streets such as Elango Nagar, Kamaraj Salai and Sanjay Gandhi Nagar, water remained stagnant for quite some time after the rain stopped. We stayed indoors for two days. Ineffective stormwater drains are the main reason for the problem. They have not been cleaned. I have represented the issue to both the Corporation and Metro Water,” says Arumainathan, president of Virugambakkam Resident’s Welfare Association.
Compared to earlier years, rain-related problems in Valasaravakkam have come done considerably, says a senior official of Zone 11. The Corporation ensured the roads were kept dry by pumping out water from affected areas. “At Rajeshwari Nagar junction there was some water stagnation, which has been pumped out. The neighbourhood otherwise was relatively free of water-logging,” he adds.
Areas such as Valluvar Kottam and Nungambakkam, especially Village Road, were also covered in sheets of water for a considerable amount of time.
